


Of Books and The Fine Art of Flirting

by winterisakiller (sparkinside)



Series: Last Minutes &  Lost Evenings [3]
Category: British Actor RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 15:18:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16663273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkinside/pseuds/winterisakiller
Summary: Of all the things that could happen when she was already running late, a chance encounter with a handsome, and oddly familiar, stranger was the last thing she'd expected.





	Of Books and The Fine Art of Flirting

**Author's Note:**

> Here is part three of this series of one-shots. This is a delve into the past; the first time Tom and Rosemary meet. This is entirely from Rosemary's perspective. I may come back and touch on Tom's take on the whole endeavor at a later time. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Late. Late. Fucking Christ almighty, she was late.

Not for the first time Rosemary cursed the latest rounds of improvements on the Underground. What should have taken her no more than half an hour ended up costing her nearly double. That would teach her to save her errand running until the last minute. Well probably not, but still she could hope that one day she would start to learn from the error of her ways. She fumbled her phone out of her coat pocket, sending Jules a quick text apologizing profusely for her delay. Whether nor not the text would be seen before she made it in was another story.

The train rolled to a stop and she pushed her way out of the carriage following the wave of people heading for the exit mindlessly. It was only about a fifteen minute walk from the station to the shop, less if she put some effort into it. And it seemed today was destined to be one of those days. 

“Excuse me, miss,” the smooth voice caught her off guard and she whirled around to face it, nearly knocking into the tall form behind her. “Whoa, steady there.” His hands were large and so very warm, even through the bulk of her winter coat. It took her a few moments to catch her bearings. 

He was utterly gorgeous; a good head taller than she was, his dark auburn hair was just long enough to be considered unkempt, a few errant curls gathering around his ears; straight nose, sharp jaw and chin covered in a few days’ worth of stubble. But it was his eyes, a stunning mix of blue and green, which seemed to root her where she stood. There was something familiar about him, but fuck if she could put her finger on why. 

The silence that brought her back was punctuated with the man’s expectant stare. _Good God, you could get lost in his eyes for days_. “I’m sorry, what?” She stammered, feeling like an absolute tit. He obviously continued talking while she gapped at him like an idiot. 

If she thought his eyes were stunning, it was nothing compared to his smile. “I was just saying you dropped this back there, darling. I didn’t want you to lose it.” He held out a lone black glove. She looked at it perplexed; her hands automatically going for the pockets of her coat…where only one of her gloves remained.

“Well shit.” She stifled a giggle. God she must sound like a complete and utter moron. What the hell was wrong with her? “Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”

He smiled again as she took the glove from him. “One of my many talents.”

And then it hit her. “Holy shit, you’re Tom Hiddleston!” The words flew from her mouth of their own accord. She could have kicked herself, repeatedly, when her brain caught up with her words. _Of all the stupid things to say_. “God, I’m sorry that was terribly rude. I just…”

If Tom had been fazed at all by her outburst, the man hid it well. His smile never wavered and neither did his eye contact. _Dear lord, does he not realize what that does to people?_ “That’s me. And may I have the pleasure of your name?”

She blinked at him. _Good God he’s smooth_. “Sorry. I don’t know where my head is today. I’m Rosemary. Mathews.” She stuck her hand out, an automatic gesture that left her feeling ridiculous, and before she could second guess her actions he took it in his own. Tom’s grip was firm and she noted, with a wry humor, that his hand dwarfed her own. 

“Very nice to meet you Rosemary Mathews.”

The ringing of his phone pulled Tom’s attention from her. He held up a hand in apology as he answered. “Hello?”

Figuring that now was probably the best time to make a hasty retreat before she risked embarrassing herself further, she waved a small farewell and turned to continue on her journey. She thought she heard him utter a protest but didn’t dare turn back around. No. Besides she was running late as it was. 

She risked a glance at her watch. Fuck, Jules was really going to kill her this time.

Ten winded minutes later she shoved open the wooden door to _Stories Untold_ , offering the red headed woman standing behind the counter an apologetic smile. The small shop had been officially hers for nearly three years now, though she had managed it for nearly four years prior. Rosemary still had trouble believing that it was truly hers. Jules had been working with her, and now for her exclusively, nearly the entire time. Jules was the closest thing Rosemary had to a sister and their relationship certainly reflected that. “I am so sorry.” Her words were met with Jules’ stern stare.

“And just what took you so long?” The smirk on Jules’ face told Rosemary that she wasn’t as cross as she seemed. But that did not mean she wouldn’t be raked over the coals for a bit in the meantime. Jules was punctual to a fault, especially when her weekly date night was involved. 

Rosemary through her hands up in supplication, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Jules quirked an eyebrow. “Try me.”

Taking a deep breath, Rosemary explained her awkward and embarrassing encounter with Tom Hiddleston. Jules eyes widened comically as the story unraveled. The urge to simultaneously cringe and curl into a ball only intensified in the retelling. Jesus, she’d been a right idiot. 

“You’re telling me you just fucking walked away?” The incredulity in Jules’ eyes stung more than she cared to admit.

Rosemary paced back and forth across the carpeted floor. “What else was I supposed to do? I’d already made a right fool of myself. It was safer for all involved if I scarpered. I mean my God, I actually told him who he was to his face! Who the hell does that?” 

“You, apparently.” Jules barked a laugh at the glare Rosemary shot her. Once she had regained her composure she continued, “You could have waited until he got off the phone like a normal person. Maybe chatted him up…”

“Yeah, because that would have gone down well at the rate I was going. Besides he was just being nice. I’m the twit who dropped her glove.” She shrugged half-heartedly. “It doesn’t matter now, anyway. At least I got an interesting story out of it.”

Jules rolled her eyes. “You are ridiculous, you know that?”

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Ha, aren’t you quite the comedian.” Jules shrugged into her coat, still laughing as she settled her bag onto her shoulder. “I still can’t believe…” 

Rosemary waved her opened hands toward the door. “Go. Get. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Fine, fine. I know when I’m not wanted.” She waved, making her way out the door into the frigid air of the early evening. Alone again, Rosemary took a deep breath and lost herself in the million small tasks of the shop around her. There was something calming about completing mundane tasks, the way they allowed you to simply be, and she relished in it. Hours could easily pass with barely a hint of recognition. And, truth be told, they often did. 

She heard the soft chime of the bell on the shop door. “Hello, welcome to _Stories Untold _, is there anything I can help you find today?” She called, head bent to the task of price labeling the newest batch of books. Soft footsteps sounded on the carpet as the newest patron slowly made their way around the shop.__

__“Well, hello again.”_ _

__Rosemary felt her heart stutter at the familiar voice. _You have got to be kidding me_. She took a deep breath and raised her head, plastering a smile on her face. Tom Hiddleston stood a few paces from the counter, soft smile spread across his face, eyes bright. He gave her a knowing look, “You disappeared earlier.”_ _

__She shrugged good-naturedly, trying to salvage the last remnants of her meager dignity. “Duty called. Besides you were otherwise occupied and I don’t make a habit of listening in to others phone calls, famous or not.”_ _

__He had the good grace to look slightly abashed, “Fair enough.”_ _

__“Is there anything in particular that’s brought you here?” She cringed internally. That had come out far less polite than she’d intended._ _

__Tom shook his head, “Just browsing. Though I must say it’s a nice surprise finding you here.”_ _

__“Is it now?” Rosemary had no idea just where the hell that had come from. She didn’t flirt as a rule. Mainly because try as she might she seemed to be utter crap at it. Why her brain decided that now would be the best time to give it another go, she couldn’t understand. _Well_ , she thought, _when in Rome…__ _

__It wasn’t the most painfully awkward thing she’d ever done, but she couldn’t deny she felt like a prize idiot. He wasn’t running though, so that had to mean something. Even if it was just that he was a nice guy who dealt with such things on a semi-regular basis. Their conversation had centered mainly on books, not the most inspired of conversations given the setting, and she soon found herself genuinely enjoying their banter. He was intelligent, but not arrogant, and genuinely seemed to care about her thoughts and ideas. She quickly discovered that once he got himself started on a topic he enjoyed it was damn near impossible to stop him._ _

__She found herself watching him intently as he talked. Taking in the way his hands seemed to fly wildly of their own accord, the intensity in his eyes. He was utterly fascinating and completely unnerving. He paused briefly in his current monologue, absently rubbing the back of his neck. He took a deep breath and smiled almost sheepishly, “I’d like to take you out…For coffee, that is.” He coughed once. “If you’re interested.”_ _

__His sudden nervousness was both adorable and completely incomprehensible and it caught her momentarily off guard. “Coffee?” she repeated._ _

__“Or tea,” he quickly added, eyes widening, “If coffee isn’t your thing.”_ _

__Rosemary bit back the nervous chuckle that threatened to erupt from her throat. She nodded, trying to get her brain to engage properly with her mouth. It took several moments. “Yes. Yes, coffee sounds wonderful.”_ _


End file.
